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Metro NY Minute --
April 2010 |
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News From the
District
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Registration
and housing reservations are open for
General Assembly. This year's Opening
Celebration and Banner Parade will feature UU
singer-songwriter
Peter Mayer. The Ware Lecturer is
Winona LaDuke, renowned Native American
activist working on issues of sustainable development.
Rev. Galen Guengenrich, minister at the
Unitarian Church of All Souls (Manhattan), will follow
up last year's popular UU University track,
Theology for a Secular Age, with a new eight-part
workshop series, The Necessity of Virtue. Over 300
workshops, lectures, and worship opportunities are
planned. Advance registration closes June 11. After May
15, hotel rooms and the group rate are subject to
availability.
Do you have a
short video to share at General Assembly? The
General Assembly Video Project invites you to submit
your video by May 14. The best submissions will be
chosen for viewing at the Plenary Sessions. Videos under
120 seconds will be considered. Possible topics include,
among others: invitation or message out Unitarian
Universalism or a specific congregation, personal
testimonial, spiritual or theological message, lay
leadership development, stewardship, social justice,
anti-racism or multi-culturalism, religious education,
children's, youth's, or young adult's faith expression.
Be creative and share your talent! For more information,
click here
 .
To submit a video,
click here.
The St. Lawrence District is sponsoring a UU
Leadership Team Institute retreat July 25-28 at
Notre Dame Retreat House in Canandaigua Lake NY for
congregational leaders in the four districts comprising
the CenEast Regional Group -- Metro NY District,
Ohio-Meadville District, Joseph Priestly District, and
St. Lawrence District. Registration is $285 before May
15, $305 after May 15. For a flyer,
click here . For
more information, contact
Jan Gartner.
Universalist Convocation 2010 will be held
May 14-16 at the First Universalist Society of Rochester
(NY), featuring keynote speaker the Rev. Mark
Morrison-Reed. Universalist Convocations is an
Independent Affiliate Organization of the UUA.
More Good Stuff to Check Out!
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 Register today
for the 2010 District Annual Meeting
held April 30-May 1 at the
Hyatt Morristown (NJ)! Congregation presidents
are especially encouraged to attend and are offered a
registration discount. The Annual Meeting will feature the
Rev. Burton Carley as keynote speaker on
Saturday and
Olympia's Daughters as special guests on Friday
evening. Rev. Carley is Senior Minister at the First Unitarian
Church of Memphis, a former member of the UUA Board of Trustees, and
the 2005 Berry Street Essayist. Olympia's Daughters is an
outstanding women's a cappella ensemble. Online
registration closes April 23. Hotel reservations
must be made by April 15 to receive the group rate.
UU Leadership
Team Institute By the Sea, hosted
by the Joseph Priestly District and the Metro NY District and
scheduled for August 26-August 29 at the Ocean Grove NJ Retreat
Center, is a residential learning experience for congregational
leadership teams to equip them with practical tools and powerful
ideas that can transform their congregations. For more information,
contact Doug Zelinski.
The
Margaret Fuller Bicentennial Committee (MFBC) is
offering a one-of-a-kind weekend tour -- "Follow the
Footsteps of Margaret Fuller in Boston, Cambridge, and
Concord" -- during the height of the fall foliage season
October 1-3. Laurie James, co-chair of the District Women
and Religion Committee, is MFBC project director.
Read more .
Events celebrating Fuller's 200th birthday on May 23 are
scheduled nationwide by a variety of groups.
Read more.
Religious
educators are invited to attend a
Multicultural Renaissance Module May 18-20 at
the Murray Grove Retreat and Conference Center, Lanoka
Harbor NJ. For a flyer,
click here .
To register,
click here. For more information, contact
Andrea Lerner.
News From the
UUA 
 The 40/40/40 campaign marks the 40th anniversary of
Earth Day by inviting congregations to gather 40 members who will each
commit to making a change in daily habits for 40 days to benefit
environmental justice. The campaign runs April 18-May 27. The primary
organizer of the event is the Ethical Eating: Food and Environmental
Justice core team responsible for guiding congregations through four
years of study on ethical eating, a congregational study/action issue
adopted by 2008 General Assembly delegates.
Read more in UUWorld.org
The Washington Office for Advocacy
will be eliminated at the end of June as part of the cost-saving
reorganization announced in March by UUA President Rev. Peter Morales. The
Advocacy and Witness staff group, of which the Washington Office for
Advocacy was a part, will merge with the Identity-Based Ministries staff
group.
Read more.
InterConnections,
the UUA's monthly newsletter for congregational leaders, now has a
Facebook page. Visitors to the page not only can read new articles and
blogs but make comments on them or offer suggestions for articles.
The first two episodes of
A Religion For
Our Time, a series of short videos highlighting inspiring
work in UU congregations, are now available. Episode One features a drop-in
program for bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender youth and young adults
created by the UU Church of Ogden (UT). Episode Two features three remote
Washington State congregations that created the Living Tradition Institute
of the West Puget Sound.
The Leadership Training Camp ,
August 1-6 at the Mountain Retreat and Learning Center in Highlands NC, is
an opportunity for pairs of youth and adults to learn interfaith leadership
skills. Registration, lodging, and meals are paid by the UUA. The
application deadline is May 1.
The Youth Project Grant Program supports local
youth-led projects that give UU youth an opportunity to grow in
faith, develop skills, and provide leadership and service to UU
communities. Grants are awarded to pairs of youth and adults
sponsored by a congregation, the District, or a UU-related
organization.
Social Justice Toolkits
are being prepared by the Washington Office for Advocacy, including
talking points, a script for calling members of Congress, a sample
letter for writing members of Congress, tips on advocacy, worship
materials, and more. Toolkits on
Conmprehensive Immigration Reform and the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act are available now. Additional Toolkits
will be available in the coming few months.
The UUA has several
financing options for congregations looking to acquire
land, build a spiritual home, or make improvements to their existing
facilities. For more information,
click here.
The UUA
Directory will continue to be
available online through a searchable database but will no
longer be available in a downloadable print format, beginning
with the 2011 Directory
News From Congregations
| Milestones and Transitions
Greg Giacobe
began serving the First UU Church of
Essex County (Orange NJ) as its new
part-time Administrator on February 1. A member
of the church since 2001, Greg served as board
secretary from 2003-09, as well as in numerous
other capacities.
The Rev. Tracy Sprowls-Jenks
will be installed as Minister by the
First Unitarian Society of Plainfield
on April 18 at 5:00pm.
Julia Hamilton
will be ordained by the Fourth
Universalist Society (Manhattan) and
the Unitarian Church in Summit
(NJ) at the Fourth Universalist Society on April
25 at 4:00pm.
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 The UU Ocean County
Congregation (Toms River NJ) held its inaugural
service on April 4 at its first permanent home, 734 Route 37
W in Toms River. Since mid-2007, the congregation has rented
space from the United Church of Christ and, for seven years
prior, met at the Murray Grove Retreat and Conference Center
in Lanoka Harbor. Rev. Craig Hirshberg led
the service. Said congregation president Bonney
Parker (pictured), "At last our congregation will
have a site that will be visible and available to all who
seek a place of worship that welcomes all, no matter who
they are, what language they speak, what color their skin,
or whom they love."
Read more .
The UU Fellowship of
Bellport (NY) will hold its final service on April
11 in its current facility at 51 Browns Lane, the
congregation's home for more than half a century. The
congregation will meet in a rented space until it finds a
new permanent home.
The UU
Congregation of Somerset Hills
(Somerville/North Branch NJ) (UUCSH) may be acquiring
its own church building, currently owned by the First
Church of Christ Scientist in Somerville. Since it began
in 1997, the UUCSH has been gathering for Sunday
services at the Raritan Valley Community College but
would like a more worshipful place to meet.
Read more.
The
Morristown (NJ) Unitarian Fellowship has
been formally welcomed by the UUA as the first
congregation to engage in Green Sanctuary
re-accreditation candidacy. The UUA stated it was
"impressed with plans for continued earth
stewardship" and described the congregation's action
plan as "diverse, well-balanced, and exciting." The
plan included a service by the Rev. Alison
Miller on the 7th Principle and a
showing of a safe lawn care film.
The UU Church
at Washington Crossing (Titusville NJ) was
certified in March by the UUA as a Green Sanctuary
congregation. The church is planning a special
recognition ceremony at its Sunday services April
18. Seven other District congregations are Green
Sanctuary congregations, those in Lincroft NJ,
Manhasset NY, Manhattan (Community Church),
Morristown NJ, Newton NJ, Stony Brook NY, and
Westport CT.
The Full Living and
Learning UU Society is being formed to provide
religiously based service and support with a particular emphasis
on individuals who might have difficulty fitting in to
traditional faith-based communities due to behavioral issues.
Parents of individuals with disabilities, those with
disabilities themselves, and clinicians and educators have
formed a group and applied to the UUA for emerging congregation
status. Read more .
The First Unitarian
Congregational Society in Brooklyn (NY) will hold on
April 17 its annual spring auction, which raises as much as
$10,000 for the congregation's general fund. The highlight is
tickets to dinners in members' homes, affording an opportunity
for participants to come together in small groups and make new
friends.
 The UU Society in
Stamford (CT) Sacred Circle Pagan Group hosted the
well-attended arts and crafts night, inviting participants
to create their own spiritboards and inscribe them with
personal symbols. Used with a pendulum, a spiritboard is an
ancient form of divination dating back at least 5000 years.
Latifa Woodhouse,
member of the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock
(Manhasset NY), will be interviewed on broadcasts of public
access television (channel 20 in Great Neck and Manhasset
and channel 37, Verizon) airing throughout April on
Saturdays at 4:00pm, Tuesdays at 6:00pm, and Wednesdays at
7:30pm (April 21 at 7:00pm). The broadcasts will highlight
Latifa's experience growing up in Kandahar and a discussion
of US policies toward Afghanistan.
The UU Congregation at
Montclair (NJ) is revamping its religious education
program and sought input from the great Montclair community. The
Rev. Judy Tomlinson, Minister of Religious
Education, hosted forums on March 28 to gain insight into how to
tailor adult program offerings to meet the needs of
congregational and community members. "The point of our
religious education program is to deepen a person's spirituality
as they learn about a variety of things," said Rev. Tomlinson.
Read more.
Other Noteworthy Items
 The UU Service Committee (UUSC) board
of trustees has appointed the Rev. Dr. William
Schulz to serve as interim president and CEO
while the UUSC searches for a permanent replacement for
former president Charlie Clements. Schulz is former
executive director of Amnesty International USA and
former president of the UUA.
Read more.
The UU Ministry For Earth (UUMFE) is
asking UU congregation members to think about what they
eat and what food choices are available in their
communities, as part of Earth Day April
22. UUFME encourages congregations to
register their Earth Day event and email photos and
event descriptions to
envirojustice@uuministryforearth.org. For Earth Day
resources,
click here.
The
Ohio-Meadville District Summer Institute,
July 11-July 17 at Kenyon College, Gambier OH, includes
workshops that focus on lay theological education and
are sponsored in part by the
UU Leadership Team Institute (UULTI). More than 600
UUs are expected to attend this year's Summer
Institute. Registration begins April 15.
Enable Inc is
partnering with the
UU Congregation of
Princeton
(NJ) to sponsor
Enabling Faith:
Honoring Our Disabilities, Finding a Spiritual Community
-- a conference on April 19-20 in
Lawrenceville NJ designed to help increase the
connections among persons with disabilities, their
families, and faith-based congregations. Enable Inc is
an organization providing services, support, and housing
to individuals with disabilities throughout
New Jersey.
For a conference brochure and registration form,
click here .
For more online information,
click here.
 The
Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF)
announced that the Rev. Meg Riley
accepted the call from the CLF board of
directors to be the new CLF Senior Minister.
Rev. Riley is currently UUA Director for
Advocacy and Witness and will begin her ministry
at the CLF in August.
Read more.
The Church of the Larger Fellowship
offers online UU courses, many of which are free and
some cost $40. For a summary of course offerings,
click here ,
or visit
clf.uua.org/learn/.
The Spring 2010 newsletter
of
the International
Convocation of UU Women (ICUUW) is now
available, including news about the ICUUW at the 2010
General Assembly, an opportunity for a trip to India
endorsed by the ICUUW board of trustees, and four new
program initiatives.
The 2010 Minns Lecture Series will
be given by the Rev. Dr. Paul Johnson,
Senior Minister at the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock
(Manhasset NY). Rev. Johnson's lectures will focus on
James Freeman Clark, a transcendentalist, social
reformer, and early scholar of world religions.
The First UU Church in
Austin (TX) offers materials for a
course in UU history -- suitable for four
sessions, each an hour and a half long -- to
interested congregations. For more information,
contact
John Keohane.
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Upcoming Workshops and Meeting
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Building Healthy Congregations: April
10, First Unitarian Society of Rockland County (Pomona NY). For more
information, contact Doug
Zelinski. |
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Long Island Leadership Institute Final Session:
April 17, UU Congregation at Shelter Rock (Manhasset NY).
For more information, contact
Doug Zelinski. |
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Junior Youth Con:
April 17-18, Morristown (NJ) Unitarian Fellowship. For a flyer,
click here .
For a letter to DREs, click
here .
To register,
click here. For more information, contact
Peter Green. |
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2010 District Annual Meeting: April 30-May 1, Hyatt
Morristown (NJ). For more information, contact
Laurie Golson. |
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Building Healthy Congregations: May
8, UU Church of Staten Island (NY). For more information, contact
Doug Zelinski. |
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11th Annual Anti-Racism
Conclave: May 15, Community Church of New York UU
(Manhattan). For more information, contact the
Rev. Michael Tino. |
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Multicultural Renaissance Module: May 18-20, Murray
Grove Retreat and Conference Center, Lanoka Harbor NJ. For a
flyer, click
here .
To register,
click here. For more information, contact
Andrea Lerner. |
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Spring
Revival: May 21-22, Fourth Universalist Society
(Manhattan). For more information, contact
Rev. Julie Taylor. |
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Youth Social Con:
May 21-23, UU Congregation of Danbury (CT). For more
information, contact
Katie Parker. |
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Youth Bridging Mini-Con: June 12,
Central Unitarian Church (Paramus NJ). For more information, contact
Katie Parker. |
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Building Healthy Congregations: June
12, Fourth Unitarian Society of Westchester (Mohegan Lake NY). For more
information, contact Doug Zelinski. |
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Liberal Religious Educators Association
District Chapter Retreat: June 13-16, Ocean Grove NJ. For more
information, contact John Cavallero. |
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Star Island Lifespan Religious Education Conference: July 11-17,
Star Island off the coast of Portsmouth NH. |
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UU Mid-Atlantic Community: July
18-24, DeSales University in Center Valley PA. For a flyer,
click here .
For a brochure and registration form,
click here .
For more information, contact Jo Paoletti. |
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